Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #10

Morning, Tuink, and all,

Tuink, That sounds like what I do, too, but I don't have quite so many places to put them. :) Last night they changed our freeze warning at 4:00 am to a watch, and so tonight is probably the last night we'll have to worry.

If we get another frost/freeze, it will be after April 24, and by then,,, if we get that cold weather, I will be worried about large trees and shrubs, much less baby seedlings.

The next time I complain about the weather will be this weekend when I am sick of the gray and rain and worried the seedlings are getting enough light. LOL! I need to take up knitting instead of gardening!

Starlight, I sure hope your babies have made it through this awful weather unscathed! What about your trees and shrubs? I would think that Alabama would be pretty well leafed out and blooming by now!

Lea, What Lupins are you looking for? I might have something here.

Something weird happened today/tonight, and it happened last year, too. All at once, when the weather stabilizes outside, all my plants get dry and thirsty at once. It's the oddest thing! It's as if all of a sudden they decide it's spring and time to grow and it doesn't matter if I watered them yesterday, or 3 days ago, but they all look like they will die if they don't get watered NOW. (The ones I watered yesterday actually aren't looking dry and droopy, but they are about 2 x bigger than they were yesterday. Also, the heat mat is too hot all of a sudden.

Just an observation.

Suzy





This message was edited Apr 15, 2008 7:25 AM

Sick of gray and rain? Hmm, that sounds kind of familiar...... We're supposed to be getting nights in the 30's this week-that's definitely below average for us. Not sure how to manage the hardening off stuff when the temps are getting cooler at night, not warmer. Guess the mid-April last frost date isn't so far off this year.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about the pics! I love all my windows too-and with my greenhouse broken, imagine all the babies that I have in front of them right now! Way too many. My 16 year old son told me yesterday that he thinks it makes the house not look as nice. I told him not to worry that I won't have a dinner party while they are there.
Even though I am omly an hour from my Meredith my zone is on the fringe of 4 and 5! It's the elevation jump and she is closer to coastal influences, but I think that is wild!

I took a chance last night and didn't cover anything. It was 32F when I got up this morning and there's frost all over the field at the bottom of the hill, but here on top, no frost. Yipeee!!!

Dang! Thirty two here, too. I got hit by frost, but I have to wait about 6 hours before I can assess the damage because on a light frost it doesn't show up right away.

I need to re read that dewpoint/frost definistion. Our dew point temp was 26 and the lowest it got here was 32. I don't see how frost could have occurred, but maybe I got it completely backwards.

..."Frost is a solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air."

If the dewpoint was 26 degrees, how could the solid surfaces been cooled to below the temperature of 32 degrees?

Suzy

Good Morning everyone,
Thank you everyone for the great hardening off advice. It is the only part of starting stuff from seed that I have a hard time getting right. I wish I had some one to hold my hand while I do it! lol! :)
Lea - I think that time I ran out in the rain to save them, it was there very first night outdoors- so I was a nervous nelly that they weren't ready for such a hard rain. You know like cats & dogs kind! :)
I wonder how the big nurseries that supply garden centers do it? They must have a simplified way with all the plants they grow! I want to get a job at one just so I can see how it's done.
Tuink - I don't know how you do it! You have so much stuff to tend to. :)
Flower - Isn't it crazy how climates can be so different, even when so close to eachother. I am not at a very high altitude here. I think it's something silly like 50ft above sea level, I looked it up once but I am probably remembering wrong.
Gemini - happy your babies didn't get frostbite!
Suzy - I will keep my fingers crossed for your babies!

Yep Meredith, seems like we never know if it's going to be a hard rain or one of those nice drissels, I need a couple of those to put my plants out in now :)

It was the red lupines from star Suzy, I think they were from her, that was why I bought those Atropurpurea cause she didn't think she was going to have enough to send I have just got to find them LOL That tells me I have way too many seeds, when I can't find these, I remember putting them somewhere cause I was going to start them the next day, lesson to be learned, never put something up to where you think you will find it! LOL How did your babies fair the night? I just set the six trays that I had in the house out in the sun it's 40 here, my foxgloves have shot up over night, like you were saying, the cat is out there I hope she doesn't get into them when I'm not looking lol

Well I need to go by the dogpen and open a cover the sun is shinning for a change :)

Meredith, I don't think the nurseries worry about hardening off unless it's the plants the put on display outside, I have bought plants before that has gotten sunburned when I put them in the ground so I make sure they are hardened off first now. They don't have the time to be running in and out like we do with our babies :)

I'm getting ready to send my left over seeds to Robi tomorrow so if anyone wants any seeds they better speak up now and I'll check and see if I have them :)

It is going to be a great day! I have so much to do in here I don't want to be inside, anybody know the difference between caprice and pearly gates morning glory, which is the prettiest, I have both and can only plant one, it's going with the mina lobata.

Beware people!!! Birds are not our friends when it comes to our baby seedlings outside, they just plucked 6 of mine out, I found them but you have to watch them, not sure if they are doing it for their nest or what but they do this every year to me LOL The games begin 8^)

I worry about which pot the chipmunks are going to dig in. They are worse than the birds for me.

Suzy, my mind is so tired I can't figure out the dew point/freezing point whatever and why either! I had that in chemistry too...

I got busy and haven't been able to transplant a thing or get online. How is everyone doing? I'm hoping to transplant a few as soon as I get off the computer...all I need is some ENERGY!

On my way home today I stopped at a garden center ~ I bought a wooley thyme plant. For people who like blues, I saw Brunnera which I loved. The blooms are blue and small like forget-me-knots and the leaves are really pretty heart shaped and variegated. I added it to my wish list :)

I also saw heuchera garden angel which was a burgundy leaf with a silver design tint to it. I loved that one too.

I've been plucking up maple tree seedlings from our garden beds. They are popping up everywhere. We could actually use some rain again. I had to water the veggie garden today. I'm worried now about the poppies I direct sowed. I wonder how hardy they are? My hose dosn't reach some of the beds I direct sowed them in and so far I haven't seen any signs of germination.

I can't remember how many white fan flowers I had in that hanging basket that I posted the picture of; probably two. Sometimes I use three plants per basket. Here is shot of some blue fan flower scaevola aemula

Oh wind, I want your porch. I miss my old porch. Maybe one day, I'll talk DH into putting one on this house. I wouldn't mind having one all the way around the house. I use to like to sit out on the porch and watch it rain. Those were the good ole days. : )
~Lucy

We love the porch too. We decided to add on the porch after seeing them at the bed and breakfast places in Cape May NJ. Actually, that is an older photo I dug up....we ended up sealing and painting the wood in hopes of discouraging the carpenter bees...still have them though.

Alot is coming to life around here. The new asparagus we just planted is starting to grow! Clematis and lilies are making their move, peonies, rhubarb and hops are waking up too ~ the money plants, periwinkle, pansy's & viola's, hyasinths, grape hyasinths, tulips and forget-me-knots are blooming. Also, gorizia rosemary is blooming like I've never seen before! I can see azalea buds getting ready to open and our dogwood started blooming today. I love spring :)

these are the canna Indian shot babies...getting too tall for under the lights!

wind-I love your porch!! I grew up with a porch similar to yours. Beautiful!!
Also-I have hadspen cream and variegata brunnera and they are not as hardy or long lived as the silver lacy looking leaved varities(Jack frost, Emerald Mist, Langtrees) Also-these varieties will have some sports that are true and some that have sploches of silver. They spread nicely and are beefier plants as time goes on whereas the actual variegated ones can shrink if they are not in the supreme best spot. The silver is just a top-coat and not part of the genetic make-up of the leaf, so it does not weaken the plant as variegation can do.
Lea- I was thinking the same thing about the nurseries. I wish I could take more seeds, but I'm still planting as I am sure all of you are!
Suzy-I hope all your plants are well. We aren't even into worrying about frosts-our snow is still here-slooooowly disappearing, but this week will be good!

Do chipmunks eat daylilies? I planted 3 daylilies last fall and I never even saw their blooms. Well guess what - there is only one left! Only what appear to be burrows where they once were! That and two small Euonymus
shrubs, that I planted in fall, have also been nibbled down to nothing. This is all in the same spot as my evergreen tree that got half eaten ! >:O

Wind do you have a dog, if you do let him/her hang out where you put your plants for a while each day, sounds kind of far fetched but the surroundings will get the dog smell and the chipmunks won’t bother your plants, I have cats that hang around now but I used to stake my dog outside before she passed away out front and it took care of the problem if you don’t have a dog just go to the dog groomers and get some hair, they have plenty lol, that worked for me the last two years I had it in all of my trays, just a big wad here and there to get the dog smell. I know how it is to deal with those critters, and it’s not fun, I had dog hair even in my big pots to keep them out people think you are crazy but it works you might find when you are at the groomers other people come in for the same thing, I did. :)

I have no idea what to do about those carpenter bees, they are very destructive! I have a bunch of them in my garage :( There has got to be a way to get rid of them, I take that wasp and hornet spray and wait until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon when they are in their holes and spray the heck out of them it kills them but there has got to be an easier way! And safer lol

I like your porch too wind, I would give anything to have a porch like that and like Lucy said one that goes around the whole house would be wonderful, I always liked the older houses because of their porches and the lacey trim at the top of the columns.

I have lots of plants coming up here too, I planted some basket of gold in front of the house last year and it looks so sick from the rain making ditches on both sides of it but it is blooming, need to do something about those ditches for next year just in case!

Meredith, I bet that was voles that ate your daylilies, if you have any daphs, plant some by the daylilies I’ve heard they are suppose to deter the voles, I planted some by my daylilies but the daphs are gone think it was too wet for them this year.

I got some holly trees from Kath and I noticed one was munched on and I didn’t put the mulch all the way up to them but there are still places where it looks like the voles were munching on the wood, they are coming out though, thank goodness!

Put some moth balls in those holes not sure if they work but I tried it last year they aren't that expensive and you can get a box that has a lot of them in there, I still haven't gone thru all of mine.

the only nibblers I have are voles. they seem to know what the most expensive shrubs are and eat the roots over the winter. but they've never bothered any seedlings.

love that porch, too. when I was very little my brother and I used to sit with my great-grandpa on the porch and play cards after Sunday dinner.

I've got a pretty good sized patch of fall-planted garlic all sprouted :0)

OMG it is voles then! My kitty scrappy likes to bring me dead ones almost every day in summer.
Good boy scrappy =^..^= ! lol

Usually voles wil not eat your bulbs, they make a mess because they are digging and eating all the cutworms that hiding under the ground that will really destroy your plants. Lots of folks think it the volves eatign the roots, but it actually cutworms and ya dont see their damage just the holes and trails the voles make tryign to get aroudn the roots for the cutworms. Voles actually are your friend, it is th emoles that are they enemy grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Well th ehail didn't do to much damge, finally got evrythign i could covered as much as i could last night and yep had frost this morning. preparign for tonight cuz tonight gonan be the worst.

Sure wish the clouds would roll in or at least some wind.

Love that porch. I would never get any gardenign done cuz I would be sitting on it watching humemrs all day long. bet it sur eis nice in the evening to sit out on and watch the sunset.

We have a wonderful old house with a front veranda - and it's great for watching thunderstorms!

front veranda sounds so nice....love old houses. I wish our house had wider windowsills like the old houses do. Our cats can barely fit their buts on our sills!

LeBug, we have a dog....here is our dog Hol (short for Holly), she was a rescue from a town near us called Mt. Holly.

Love the porch; love the pooch! Wind, she is a wonderful looking Shepherd!!!

Tomorrow everything goes out -- at least for a couple hours. I'll count the number of times I go up and down the steps so you can all commiserate with me.

Suzy

Wind I love your dog, she's beautiful! She should do a good job scareing the chippers!

I'll be going up and down, up and down the steps with you Suzy here lol I decided not to take my tomatoes out yet though it's going to be in the low 40's in town so it could be 30's for us and tomatoes don't like those temps :( I need to fight the greenhouses tomorrow and get some more put together. I already have five going now. I've got my phlox taking some room up I could probably just take them out now that I'm bringing more plants outside, I'm transplanting some tonite still a lot of that to do!

Star glad the hail didn't do much damage! Keep those babies warm, I can't believe you all are still getting cold weather I would think it would be warm now in Z8, what a bummer!

Meredith, the neighbors cat has killed two voles this year so far, thank goodness she doesn't bring them to me LOL She will be around though so I'm really looking forward to her catching a bunch of them, I hope she gets them all :) Can a cat have two owners? lol

Lea, cats have slaves. You just happen to be one of them. lol : )

Morning all!

Great porch, great dog, great canna babies. Life is great, yay!

Have been sowing a lot again in the edible garden: lots of radishes, carrots, beetroot, leeks, onions, lettuce, scorzonera, parsnips, rettich, (marrowfat) peas, broad beans etc. Tonight I'll start to sow MG's and other climbing plants plus zucchini, pumpkins, squash, cukes and melons. This weekend I'll start the cutting garden. And the first babies will be planted outside! Still so much to do and so little time!

We could do with some rain here, though. It hasn't rained in ten days! Over the last few years april and may have been extremely dry and it looks like we're going to have another of those dry spells again......

good morning :)
tuink, sounds like you have a big vegetable garden! I always wanted to try leeks. I've never heard of scorzonera?

I think I made the mistake of leaving off my ws lids during the past week, some of the seedlings have disappeared in a few of them: jasione montana and some of the hens & chicks poppies. I covered all the containers last night...got chilly, but later today is zooming up to 66.

Suzy's purple majesty millet is sprouting! Also, I forgot to mention when I was in the garden center yesterday I noticed sedum dragon's blood. I have that growing from Weez's seeds, it is a really nice looking plant...it seems like it would be a hard plant to collect seeds from.

about stair climbing :)
http://www.nwhealth.edu/healthyU/getMoving/stair.html

Hi wind,

Scorzonere (somethimes also called salsify) is a very oldfashioned veg that I'm trying for the first time this year. Seems they taste a little like asparagus.

Don't be disappointed if the puple millet sprouts are green instead of purple. They will change colour when you put them in the sun when they're a little bigger. The more sun, the darker they get! Same may go for the sedum, but I'm not sure about that....

star, I think thats backwards about the mole/voles. I believe its moles that are after the worms, but voles use their tunnels to access plant roots and bulbs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(animal)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole

When the cats bring me "presents" I noticed you can tell by the teeth. Moles have sharp, pointed teeth you expect from a carnivore, and voles have little buck teeth like a beaver (that are so efficient at tearing through bulbs!). I just refer to them collectively has a dastardly duo, LOL.

Speaking of moles/voles I was so happy to get all of those castor beans! In the spring our hill looks like something from outerspace with all of the mole tunnels and I had one last year that I think he got caught in a corner and couldn't get out where I was planting a bunch of plants cause he kept going back and pushing them out of the ground time and time again I plan on planting one of those there lol They will be all around the yard I just hope all of them come up that I plant!

by gemini, I think you are right about those voles/moles! LOL

Suzy I haven't even started taking plants out not until the sun goes away from the back porch about 2:00 anyway and have already made bookoo trips up and down the stairs just getting them ready to go out lol That's getting them all together in trays and I'm not done yet lol

My only issue is the dastardly rabbits!!! I WISH my cat & dog would bring em to me dead-they would get something REALLY good for that-like a piece of salmon or a steak!!

I have ahd some casualties-I apparntly am doing something wrong to some of them-not sure what but NONE of my violas/pansys made it, so my next step is to try to direct sow them:(

Fairy, how did you sow them? I hate it that none came up for you!

hey all, if ya havent seen the classified lately, Kathy got a bunch of perennials for sale. I just got a bunch of mints. Have no idea what i got, but the names soudned cool. Shouldn't look at plant ad's when i hungry. LOL

Well, the frost didnt do to much damage thank goodnes s one more cold night of covers and hopefully all the bad weather be gone for the season.

matr and peppers lookign a bit peaked from the cold but hopefulyl they will bounce back.

Lea-I put them in a folgers can in my hutch for the darkness-came up and looked OK-a little weak, then I put em in front of my patio door with all the rest of them....after about 1.5 days they croaked:(

today I also lugged stuff outside - especially the exotics - lots of baby brugs, canna lilies, and corkscrew vines (I got two seeds to germinate!), the geraniums.

Cosmos and zinnias are doing well in the makeshift "greenhouse"

I am having difficulty getting marigolds to germinate - go figure! Any ideas how I can increase germination?

i everybody -- I'm in the thick of tings with the Daffodil Show -- tomorrow is the show, so I have to go to bed early and head out early.

Seandor, where the seeds collected or commercial on the marigolds? I am having trouble, too, but all on traded seeds. I htink thye just aren't viable to be honest, but if your are commercial, I doubt that 's the problem.

It's going to be beautiful tomorrow!

Suzy

Fairy I dmaied you about your violets :)

I never have much luck with mairgolds from trades but I keep on trying I may get one out of a whole seed tray.

Well, that's about the same experience I'm having. The violas germinated pretty well (except for 2) but I've lost a lot of them since. I do have some survivors, but I was thinking about some direct sowing, too. The marigolds are kind of spotty...some are great and some are so -so. same with the zinnias... got a zillion of some and 1 or 2 of some.

Morning all!

LeBug and Grampa,
You can check marigold seeds before sowing. This will save you from a lot of disappointment!
Viable seeds are black and you cannot bend them. You'll get lots of seeds that are kind of greyish and can be easily bent. These will nog germinate.....
Same goes for zinnia seeds. The viable ones are hard and cannot be bent!

When collecting seeds from these, do you just have to wait longer for them to get black???

No, it isn't that. It's just like the plants make so many attempts just to get a few good ones.....
When harvesting, you'll have to wait until the stem of the former flower has become brown and dry. Then pick the seedhead. If you keep it upside down, seeds will fall out. Those that remain stuck are no good. The other ones you can check for viability.

Ok-I get it-well now I feel bad, the zinnia I collected last year-some were black and some weren't, so I have peeps floating around out there w/ some loser seeds:(